Lately I’ve been trying to expand the frosting section on Just So Tasty. If you have a classic vanilla cupcake recipe and a classic chocolate cupcake recipe – you can mix and match your frostings to make just about anything.

Like how your wardrobe only needs one perfect pair of jeans, then endless tops. Know what I mean?

So a perfect peanut butter frosting recipe has been on my to-do list for a while.

How to Make Peanut Butter Frosting

To make the frosting – we first beat together softened butter and peanut butter until it’s no longer lumpy. Then we mix in sifted powdered sugar, a little vanilla extract & cream or milk.

For the perfect recipe, I experimented quite a bit with the ratio of butter to peanut butter. Too much butter, and your frosting isn’t peanut buttery enough. Too much peanut butter, and it’s no longer perfectly pipe-able.

I found the perfect ration of butter to peanut butter was 1:2.

For this peanut butter frosting recipe – you can use cream or milk (really any variety between whipping cream all the way to 1% milk). Whipping cream makes the buttercream thicker and fluffier, whereas if you use milk it’ll be a little thinner. Both work – but if you’re planning to frost cupcakes using a piping bag I’d recommend whipping cream.

Now for a couple of questions:

Can I use salted butter? Yes, but I’d definitely remove the salt from the recipe.

Can I use natural peanut butter to make the frosting? I don’t recommend it. Natural peanut butter can separate and cause the frosting to get oily or also separate.

How do I make the frosting ahead of time? You can make the frosting a day or two in advance and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Take it out of the fridge to soften about 1-2 hours before you want to frost your cake or cupcakes. If it isn’t quite soft enough yet, you can beat it again with your electric mixer.

This peanut butter buttercream is so delicious on chocolate cupcakes, brownies, birthday cake, or just about anything that you eat for dessert. I love the combo of salty, sweet, peanut butter goodness – and if you’re a frosting addict like me, then you definitely need to add this peanut butter buttercream to your baking to-do list!

About Fiona

I'm the baker and blogger behind Just So Tasty! I believe anyone can make tasty, homemade desserts and treats. I love classic recipes that are delicious (obviously), not too fussy, and use simple, everyday ingredients.

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Comments

I have made this with cream and milk and the frosting separated both times. I used regular peanut butter not natural. What did I do wrong and how can I did this? Adding more confectioner’s sugar did not help

Hi Carol, I’m sorry the frosting didn’t turn out for you. Typically if frosting separates it’s because the butter was either too soft, or the mixture was beaten too much. Basically – in the summer especially the butter can start to melt and then the frosting can separate.